Field position pays off for Bulldogs
Diaz and Romano
score two TDs each
STRUTHERS
Excellent field position, especially in the first half, a two-touchdown game by both Dante Romano and Mike Diaz and a quality start at quarterback from senior Jonah Spencer, offset the 13 penalties assessed against Poland in its 33-0 All-American Conference win over Struthers.
“Field position is everything,” Poland coach Ryan Williams said of his team’s 7-0 lead late in the first quarter following a partially blocked Struthers punt in the early minutes of the game. A couple of turnovers also worked in favor of the Bulldogs (6-0, 4-0).
“The long interception was a big deal,” Williams said of Diaz’s 98-yard interception for a touchdown in the second quarter after Romano and Spencer TDs. Spencer’s 1-yard plunge followed a center’s high snap that quarterback J.D. Hall, after barely controlling it, recovered on the Wildcats’ 1-yard line.
“Jonah started the game at quarterback,” Williams said of the 5-10, 190 player, who took the role usually played by Cole Kosco.
“Cole had a little injury this week and we just wanted to sit him out,” Williams said of Kosco, a junior who didn’t dress.
Diaz also had another interception and a 33-yard TD catch from Spencer, who was 6 of 7 for 77 yards.
“He does a nice job getting open and he has a little wiggle move that eludes tacklers,” Williams said of Diaz. “Any time you put the ball in your playmaker’s hands, we have a chance.”
Of his team’s success along the line of scrimmage, Williams said, “We get excited to play [Struthers] because we’re similar offenses. We defended them pretty well and we’re real happy with the way our kids played up front [defensively], he said of players such as Scott Campbell, Tyler Campbell, Alec Catsoules and Cole Lavorini and Nick Miller, both of whom are starters for a third straight season at OLB.
Poland’s 13 penalties amounted to 144 yards, while Struthers (4-2, 2-1) was tagged five times for 50 yards.
However, it seemed that the first-half ejection of Willie Mitchell was especially critical for the Wildcats, who were out-gained, 235-157.
“They had a good kicker,” Struthers coach Curt Kuntz said of the poor position that Poland sophomore Mikey Kushner’s opening kickoff put the Wildcats in.
“We didn’t get a lot going and our center got dinged, so we had to move some linemen around.”
He continued, “Turnovers ruined a couple things, but that’s a really good team on both sides of the ball. They [Poland] have a lot of guys up front who spend a lot of time in the weight room and they like to get after it when they play football, so hats off to them. A lot of the bad stuff [for Struthers tonight] is because [Poland] is a pretty good team and they put pressure on us.”
Although Struthers played without speedy wide receiver/all-around standout Nick Adams because of a concussion, Kuntz said that “it’s next-man up.”
“Other guys did a good job running the ball, but we’ve got to capitalize and punch it in.”